Exo-Armoured Squats

There are several must-haves in a Squat army - and Exo-Armoured Hearthguard are several of them. Like Space Wolves and their Wolfguard, these heavily-armoured characters can be sprinkled around the army to bolster the ranks, or formed up into squads for real hitting power.

This model may've been influenced by the famous Sutton Hoo helmet. It's as though the Perry that sculpted these models saw it and thought "Hey! That would look great as a robot - all it needs are hands and feet." 

  

Eagle-eyed amongst you would've noticed that there's a discarded RTB01 helmet on the base. This is to commemorate the Squats' victory against Mark's Storm Giants in our ongoing Golem army challenge. So great was the massacre of these green Marines that Mark has switched to collecting Ultramarines.

 

Next off, let's round these chaps out to a squad with all the variants.

Chris "Curis" Webb

Mike Newman Speaks...

Chaos Dwarfs

Part 2 - First Army List and Infernal Guard

Afternoon guys,

So I thought for the next part of the Chaos Dwarf series we'd have a look at the first army list I wrote. (you can catch part 1 here - http://golempaintingstudio.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/mike-newman-speaks.html)

Generally speaking, after the initial inspiration which sparks an army, which I talked about last time, the army list is the next step for me. Being an avid tournament player, and someone who plays a lot of games, I want to make sure I can create a list which is both;
 a) competitive - I want to win games
and b) fun to play - cause I need to enjoy playing the army across a lot of games without getting bored - just like those chaps you see enjoying their games in the shiny pages of White Dwarf

I wanted to create the army in two parts, a typical hammer and anvil style list. 

The hammers are fast moving hard hitting elements designed to take the fight to the enemy and do the majority of the damage. For this I chose; a unit of 4 Bullcentaurs with great weapons, a Tau'ruk, and a mighty Kdaai Destroyer. These are all capable of posing a number of problems for the enemy.

The anvil is designed to sit back, destroy stuff at range, and then be resolute enough to survive when the enemy hits home. For this task I chose; a Sorcerer-Prophet, a BSB, a Deamonsmith, 27 Infernal Guard with great weapons, 32 Hobgoblin Sneaky Gits, 2 Death Shriekers, a Magma Cannon and 5 Hobgoblin Wolf Riders.

And so onto the Infernal Guard, with test model already done it was a fairly simple task to replicate the colour scheme across the whole unit.

I particularly like the different styles you get across the dwarfs themselves, with the fatter plastic ones, and the skinny evil thinner metal ones. A few of the different metal styles are pictured below.

The command groups features the 'pirate' Chaos Dwarf as champion - one of my favourite models. I also made the decision to use the vintage printed paper banners from the old Chaos Dwarf Army book too, as fitted on the old models.

And that's it until next time, when I plan to talk about the infantry characters, their equipment, and the role they take within the anvil. 

See you then

Goblin Army part 2

As promised here is the second part of the Goblin commission I recently completed; 20 Archers, a Spear Chucka and the completed Army Standard Bearer.

I found that after painting the banner the central design needed bringing out a little more, so I added some dagz to the edges to make it a little more striking.

Sourgutz Goblin Stikkaz occupy the hamlet of Twee. Who knows what

dastardly nastiness they've inflicted on the poor inhabitants?

 





That's all for now, cheers for looking :-)

 

Mike Mee





Orcs, orcs, orcs, orcs! Part 2

Click here to read Part 1 first.

This is the second part in my series on an Orc army that I recently painted. Last time I focused on the centre point regiment in the army, the Orc Boyz. This time around we'll take a look at everyone's favourite sneaky little fellows, the Goblins!

First off the Night Goblin Big Boss and two units of Night Goblins.

 A regiment of Goblin Wolf Riders 

These guys were great fun to paint! There's something about greenskins which sparks my imagination. I find myself creating little narratives for them, in my head, whilst painting them. I find that when painting armies, keeping that flame of inspiration alight is key. Being faced with a massive load of models can be quite daunting, so I think it's important to find ways of getting through them and enjoying doing it (it is our hobby (for me it's more a jobby) after all).

Thanks for looking guys,

Check back for more Orcs and Goblins fun!

Want to hone your army painting skills? Then we've got the event for you! On the 26th-27th January we're hosting an Army Painting Masterclass. Keep checking our Facebook page for updates on this!

Thomas Moore

Dwarf on Dwarf action!

Grugnar Silverbeard smites his anvil as the fiendish Chaos Dwarfs prepare to assault his forge.

Lots of Dwarfs around in the studio this week! First up we have new recruit Sally's Warhammer Forge Chaos Dwarf Infernal Guard.

"I'm a massive fan of the old skool Chaos Dwarfs, but Warhammer Forge's new models are much more menacing and warlike. There's no comedy with these guys!

I thoroughly enjoyed painting them and particularly enjoyed building up a realistic feel on the scalemail using layered washes. Also, because the armour colour was very dark, I used a gloss finish to really make them pop on the battlefield.

Next up I'm getting stuck into an Iron Daemon from the same range, look out for another blog update on that soon."

Meanwhile, George has recently finished an entire host of Dwarfs of the non twisted variety.

"These were my first big army project at Golem, and I concentrated on keeping them really neat and unified, using a limited colour palette and consistent basing to give the army a coherent feel."

This army is available on our eBay shop right now! Check out:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dwarf-Army-for-Warhammer-Fantasy-Painted-/160909803611?pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item2576f8c05b

If you would like to learn the secrets of painting armies the Golem way, then our Army Painting Masterclass weekend will be for you! It takes place 26th - 27th January and tickets will be available very soon, keep an eye on our Facebook page so you don't miss out...

Mark, Sally and George

Non Metallic Masterclass

Saturday 17th saw the Non Metallic Metal Masterclass take place at Golem Towers.

This was the first time we'd run an event focussed entirely on one aspect of painting, and was also the first tutorial event to be held at our new studio - so epically exciting all round! 14 eager students rocked up, keen to learn the mystical secrets of Non Metallics from zen painting master Tommie Soule.

The day kicked of with an overview talk on painting flat areas using the 'rule of jewel'

Some student examples of the 'rule of jewel; in action:

After everyone had tried their hand at that, it was time for lunch, and lasagna and jacket spuds were the order of the day. Tommie then moved onto the 'rule of real', and the students attacked the rounded leg armour of their Sanguinary Guards with gusto!

All in all it was a really fun day, and the examples of NMM produced by the students on the day were very impressive. Here's what some of the attendees had to say:

"Brilliant! What's next?"

"More of the same please..."

"Really enjoyed myself, and the food was excellent."

Want to get involved and sharpen up your skills? have a packed calendar of tutorial events lined up for 2013. The first 3 will be:

January 26th - 27th Army Painting Masterclass Weekend

February 24th Freehand Detailing Masterclass

March 23rd Terrain Masterclass - Ruins

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for full details coming soon!

Mike Newman Speaks...

Chaos Dwarfs

Part 1 - A Brief History, Conception and Inspiration

Nearly two years ago, when Tommie and I left GW to set up Golem Painting Studio's, I decided to take a break from Warhammer (my most beloved of wargames) to concentrate on the needs of setting up and running (and painting for) a successful commission painting business.

This was a hard decision to make, years of avid tournament gaming, and an exciting new 8th edition to play meant I left with a heavy heart.

Earlier this year I decided to make my return - spurred on by the release of a tournament legal Chaos Dwarf army from Forgeworld.

Chaos Dwarfs had been the army I had collected as a young laddie, and, though those models were now lost (cheers mum) they still held a special place in my heart, thus I made the decision to collect an army not of shiny new Forgeworld models, but of older big hatted 1990's Chaos Dwarfs, so I set about scouring eBay for the models I wanted.

And I wanted a colour scheme to match. The Chaos Dwarfs were released right at the height of the GW 'red era', and something that has always stuck in my mind is memories of Gareth Hamiltons (Ratarsed) Award Winning Chaos Dwarfs as seen by a much younger version of myself way way back in White Dwarf 191

And so, as with all our commissions, I set about painting a test model to come up with a modern version of this striking colour scheme.  Here's what I came up with:

A decent starting place then. Next time I'll talk about my first army list, as well as having a closer look at the finished unit of Infernal Guard.

Catch you then

Infilitrating Space Marine

Some Mancunian ruffian(s) sprinkled nails over my carparking space, causing several residents awkward punctures. This required me to do something I've never done before - change a car wheel. It felt incredibly manly. I thought I'd better photograph the occasion to prove that I can be manly.

 

Tommie Soule suggested for added rawr-factor I should do it stripped to the waist.

 I was totally unwaware my car had a spare tyre and a tool kit secreted beneath the boot until this morning. But as I was unscrewing the scissor jack (a term I said to myself loudly to impress on passers-by my manliness) I noticed an oddly familiar sight...

 

Yes, a mk6 Epic Space Marine had infiltrated this never-before-seen area of my car. Sorta proof how deeply embedded this hobby is in my life.

Chris "Curis" Webb

40k Terrain Golem Style!

Recently at Golem we've been spending some time kitting out our Gaming Room with some nifty sci-fi terrain. We've got a mixture of scratch built and kit ruins, some improvised barricades, and the wrecked Aquila from the old Warhammer 40K starter set, all painted up and based consistently so they fit in with our 2 new gaming tables.

Thomas Moore's Imperial Fists stand ground as Matin Hall's rampaging Ork boyz clamber over obstacles including a crashed Aquila and pipework to the anticipated slaughter ahead.

 Mike Mee's Necrons lead by a fearsome C'Tan Shard of the Nightbringer have taken up a defensive position amongst city ruins.

 

Having secured an ancient Imperial ruin, Tommie Soule's Space Wolves are ready for anything that comes at them!

Next up, we'll be turning our attention to Fantasy terrain, and have some town houses, woods and hills planned. I'm also going to realise an ambition I've held for ages and build a coaching house like the old one that was always featured in White Dwarf.

If you'd like to learn the ins and outs of making your own scenery quickly, cheaply and having it looking cool, then our Terrain Making Masterclass in February 2013 will be right up your cobble effect street. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for full details coming soon!

As always, if you like what you see and want to commission us to paint some of your terrain, just get in touch!

Mark Elsdon



 

 

Blood Angels Combat Squad 2

 

 

 

As promised here is the second combat squad of Blood Angels! My favourite part of this squad is the sergeant! I'm a big fan of the Forge World upgrades, I feel that it makes him look really unique.

 

Thomas Moore

Goblin Army

This month I got stuck into some sneaky green skins, there have been quite a few Orc and Goblin commissions in the studio recently so I was happy to have a crack at painting some.

As we were working on the same units at the same time, Thomas Moore (Wickedcarrot in forumland) and I had a little race of who could paint ten Goblin wolf riders the fastest! Sadly I lost..... Next time Carrot!

 

 

My favourite element of the commission was the Army Standard Bearer. The client had a cool design that they wanted depicting, and I think the finished banner creates a great centrepiece to the army. The warmachines were also great fun to do, the crew are so characterful.

 

That's all for now, more pics of my work to follow soon!

 

Mike Mee

Blood Angels Combat Squad 1

 

The images above show a Blood Angels combat squad which I painted many months ago for a client. For the conversions I used a mix of Forge World MKV armour, Blood Angels kits as well as Tactical and Assault marine kits.

 

This is the first of two combat squads that I painted for the client. Watch this space for the next squad!

 

If you want us to produce a squad or indeed an army of Blood Angels to this standard please get in touch!

 

 

Thomas Moore

 

Orcs, orcs, orcs, orcs! Part 1

Last month I was tasked with painting an Orc army, something that I have wanted to do for a while now. Orcs were my first army that I ever painted, and were what really hooked me into the hobby so I really wanted to revisit them and apply my current painting knowhow to the models which I had painted (rather badly) around 10 years ago!

The client's brief was, 'Paint them like the box', so I had to break down the 'Eavy Metal paint job and make it fit the client's budget. I produced three test pieces in order to work our how I wanted to paint the army and for presenting to the client for approval.

Test Pieces

 

The client approved  the test pieces so I was able to crack on with the army.

The first regiment that I decided to paint was the Orc Boyz:

And here is another shot of the Orc Boyz, this time on one of Golem's gaming tables in our new Gaming Room.

That's all for now folks! Check back for more on this Orc army!

Thomas Moore

Spee... er ... DreadBall!

"Speed? Ball? Two?" Jake asked back. "I've not actually heard of that." he confided. "I loved that game as a kid!" smiled one of the other playtesters. "ICE CREAM! ICE CREAM!" somebody chimed from the back, making those with memories of the classic Amiga game smirk. Veteran game designer Jake Thornton had no idea why we were giggling about frozen desserts. 

 

Lucky Logan's playing for the Trontek 29ers - his vintage battered plate in complete contrast to Trontek's hyper-polished alloys. With Jake oblivious to the violent sporting game, and resistant to my straplines referencing Brutal Deluxe (Brutal Influx? Brutal Bollox? Brutal Haddocks?) I thought I had to throw in a homage somewhere. That opportunity came with the Season 1 MVP Lucky Logan. I decided to recreate the 16-colour pallete of the classic Bitmap Brothers game with the official paintjob.

  

 Hence mucky turquoise shaded with purple and cross-faded to grey. 

 

This ties nicely to the background for me - Logan is allegedly one of the original DreadBall players from many years back. What if "back then" was 2095 - the year when the original SpeedBall was founded? (And maybe even this 2095?) 

 

At Golem we're painting a huge influx (a brutal influx) of DreadBall for the Mantic's Kickstarter, including a number of Logans. If you'd like me to paint you an exact copy of the studio paintjob, get in touch.

Chris "Curis" Webb

Big Stompy Doom Robots

Tom Webb (of Steel Crown Production fame) often assumed to be an uncle/brother/son/male relative of mine.  People think Webb is an uncommon surname and we're all related - but sadly it's just another vocational patronymic like Smith or Baker.
Anyway, Tom recently commissioned a pair of his towering new Exodus Wars Behemoths from Golem.  As the resident 6mm enthusiast I pounced on these robot beauties.

To give you an idea of scale, here they are with a Blood Angels Dreadnought.  They weigh about a third of a kilo each.  Put one in a rugby sock and you've got a murder weapon.

Rather than paint them as one assembled piece I broke them down into sub-assemblies and stuck them to bottle tops.    Finding this many caps in Golem is very easy as the amount of soft drink is directly proportional to the ability to paint.

The torsos had large holes drilled through them and were glued to old paintbrushes.  Any handling of metal models results in paint wear and finger-grease transfer.  Of course - you do end up fingering the model - but you agree with yourself a limited number of contact points - and only paint them when you've finished everything else (Thomas Moore had a similar approach to painting his Khorne Lord on Juggernaut).

So here's the Marcovian Behemoth.  This had the brown base-coasts airbrushed to ensure a smooth finish to the armour panels.  I particularly enjoyed the markings on the left arm, and the nuclear symbols on the tips of the missiles.

In order to stop people thinking these were 28mm miniatures I added trees to the bases.  It really gives them a sense of scale.

And here's the Zho Behemoth, clad in slick black armour plates.  Notice how all the fades get lighter towards the bottom rather than the top for extra coolness factor.

On the top of the carapace is a large freehand Zho faction symbol.

Chuffed to have done these studio jobs.  It makes Steel Crown the latest in a long line of companies that head to Golem for their studio paintjobs.

Chris "Curis" Webb